1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to blowers which are used with grass mowing decks for assisting in blowing grass from the deck, through a delivery tube and to a bagger. More specifically, it relates to an anti-wrap structure to retard accumulation of trash around the blower fan shaft and bearings.
2. Description of Related Art
Multi-spindle mower decks carrying a plurality of blades are commonly utilized for mowing lawns and similar types of vegetation. These decks are capable of cutting a large swath of material as they are moved across the ground and are typically used with baggers or material collection systems.
Since the multi-spindle decks cut a large volume of material, and it must be blown through the ductwork to the collector, it is often desirable to provide a blower that can assure sufficient air and material flow to the collector. Typically, these blower assist devices are mounted either adjacent to the deck or in the tube between the deck and the collector.
When they are mounted intermediate the tube, the productivity of the fan blade can be improved since the material can be fed into the center portion of the blower fan blade to reduce clogs in the chamber the blade is housed within. Since the desired trajectory of material as it feeds into the fan blade is perpendicular to and adjacent the axis of the fan blade shaft, it has been found helpful to remove the bearing support structure for the blade shaft by cantilevering the shaft, supporting it only at the end opposite the material inlet. This reduces the shaft support structure about which material can collect and cause blockages.
When blower assists are mounted in the tube between the mower deck and the collector, however, blockages can occur within the tube leading to the blower. Therefore, it is often desirable to locate the blower assist adjacent to the mower deck to receive the material from the mower deck and propel it upwardly through the ductwork to the collector means. Locating the blower adjacent the side of the mower deck not only increases the width of the mower deck by the size of the blower structure, which can make mowing around obstacles more difficult, but it also reduces the efficiency of the fan blade since the cut material from the mower deck feeds into the fan blade below its shaft axis due to the necessity of mounting the blower low to the ground and adjacent the exit opening of the mower deck.
To improve the inlet flow of material to blowers mounted adjacent the mower deck, it has been known to cantilever the shaft supporting the fan blade so that the throat feeding the material to the fan blade from the mower deck can feed the material close to the axis of the shaft. In an attempt to also reduce the overall width of the deck and blower, the bearing which supports the cantilevered shaft has been mounted inside the housing supporting the fan blade and in the chamber within which the fan blade operates. Locating the bearing inside the fan chamber, however, has resulted in the problem of wrapping of grass, straw and other material around the bearing supporting the shaft, causing a reduction in the bearing life and increased down time for the blower.
It would, therefore, be desirable to provide a blower assist structure mounted adjacent a multi-spindle mower deck wherein that structure included a fan blade mounted in a cantilevered fashion to facilitate the desirable flow of material to the blade and with the shaft bearings located within the housing to reduce the deck and blower width. It would further be desirable to provide an anti-wrap structure that would minimize the wrapping build-up of material around the bearing which is mounted within the housing.